


Nelson & Murdock is an Upstanding Institution

by LittleDidTheyKnow



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: BAMF Karen Page, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Foggy Nelson surprises everyone, Foggy and Marci defile a desk, Identity Reveal, Marci has her priorities in order, Matt can't avoid feelings forever, Matt jumps into action, Matt needs a distraction, Trapped, close quarters kissing, karedevil - Freeform, pre-season 2, unapologetic Matt flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-04 15:30:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10993764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleDidTheyKnow/pseuds/LittleDidTheyKnow
Summary: "Karen, we can no longer ignore the crossroads we are at. If we continue to stand in this closet, we will probably hear 'Foggy Bear' Nelson having sex. There is no coming back from that."Foggy and Marci have some fun without realizing that they aren't alone at the office. Matt and Karen are forced to confront their feelings for each other.One more opportunity to bring Matt and Karen together pre-season 2.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Karen heard the commotion from Matt's office as he opened every cabinet and searched every shelf. When that didn't return results, he walked past her and into the conference room, starting the process all over again. Once he entered the kitchen and was going through those cabinets, Karen gave up on him asking for help.

"What are you looking for, Matt?" She asked, standing over him as he searched a shelf that housed their backup stash of coffee.  
  
"Are we out of those rolls of heavyweight paper for my printer?"  
  
"They're in a box on the back wall of the pantry," she said, extending her hand and helping him up off the ground. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you were low."  
  
He closed the last cabinet door and turned his head toward the pantry. "It's fine, Karen. I know you're busy."  
  
She shrugged and walked toward the pantry. "Matt, that thing is tiny and there's a ton of stuff in the way."  
  
Matt liked to do as much as possible on his own, letting her do actual work instead of the administrative part of her job. She was a much more important cog in the machine of Nelson & Murdock, and his feelings toward her made him feel like that much more of a jerk by asking her to perform mindless tasks. They had been working more closely lately, and any time investigative research could be done on a case of his, he asked for her help. What he didn't know was that she was happy to do virtually anything for him, knowing that it was a guaranteed opportunity to put a smile on his face.

"No need, Karen. I can find it." She waved him off without thinking and opened the pantry door, while he stood outside it. Their "pantry" was mostly used for storing cleaning supplies and random larger office necessities. It was about 3.5 feet wide by 7 feet deep and ended in a steep angle as it was under some stairs. She pulled on the light bulb string above her and sighed, "Wow, I've let this thing get out of hand." She pushed a broom to the side and made quite a bit of noise shoving things out of the way.  
  
Karen always blamed herself for the little quirks of the office, and Matt hated it. It was a small understaffed operation, and she was underpaid and over-worked. "Karen, you know it's ridiculous to blame yourself..." He said as he stepped in. "Please let me help you."  
  
He entered the cramped space and a small breeze slammed the door shut. This was a frequent occurrence on summer days like today. They left the windows open, creating cross drafts all over their creaky office. Karen laughed every time Foggy shouted as his office door slammed, usually blowing papers off of his desk. She had grown used to the sound and looked back at him. "I'm _sorry_ Matt! There's no need to slam the door!" She said laughing.

He grinned from ear to ear and caught a mop that started falling through the air. "Well, that was impressive!" She said, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. He handed it to her and she lifted it out of the bucket that sat between them, shattering the light bulb above them. He reached over her head, shielding her from the glass shards, most of them falling into the bucket.  
  
"Damn it!" She shouted into the darkness, as the mop fell toward the back of the closet. "Are you ok?" Matt shook the glass off his arms and lowered his hands down to her shoulders. He could smell the blood on his right hand telling him that he had been cut. He'd had worse. "I'm fine. It's really no big deal, Karen."

She reached for the door handle and he blocked her hand. "I could let you open this, but I think it's only fair that you spend two minutes searching like I have to do every day."  


She savored the moments when he'd forget himself and flirt unapologetically. "Is that a challenge, Matt Murdock? Maybe I'll have a knack for mysteriously finding things as easily as you do." He smiled, thinking _if you only knew_. Their attention was diverted to the lobby of Nelson and Murdock as the door slammed open.  
  
Karen jumped at the sound and tripped on the bucket, falling toward Matt. He caught her and lifted her into his arms allowing the bucket to roll into the abyss. She instinctively threw her arms around his shoulders and jokingly whispered, "who needs Daredevil to save them when Matt Murdock is around?" causing his heart to race. The sound of the commotion was missed by the loud invaders, and Matt and Karen froze upon hearing the voice of Marci Stahl.    
  
"Look, Foggy Bear! We're _alone_!" Matt heard the flask in her hand swish as she opened her arms and walked past the kitchen toward Karen's desk. "If they're not working at 6:45 pm on a Friday, you shouldn't be either!"  
  
"You'll be well into that fourth martini in a few minutes, Marci. I wish Nelson  & Murdock were as lax about 'drinks' with clients as your office was. I just have to drop these contracts off for Karen, and we'll get some food in that stomach."  
  
"As one of the partners, you could change that drinking policy. And you know you love me like this. It makes me more desperate to rip your pants off without warning." She said as she swung her arms around him, and gave him a kiss.  
  
"Is that what three-drink Karen is like?" Matt flirted, and suddenly she was very aware that his arm was under her dress, touching the bottom of her thighs as he held her up with impressive ease. Apparently, this dress was a little too short to be "saved" in. She grinned at her luck.  
  
She loved that the thought would even cross his mind. "Three-drink Karen sings karaoke, badly. Now, four-drink Karen is a little more unpredictable. She'd probably already have that shirt of yours unbuttoned if she were in this sticky of a situation." She kissed his cheek playfully, whispering, " _She_ can't be trusted."  
  
She had surprised him. Their flirting never led to a kiss before, even on the cheek. She had revealed quite a bit imagining herself under the influence, specifically with him. He lowered her to the floor, his arms moving to her waist as her hands slid around his neck.  
  
Foggy kissed Marci until he heard a small noise coming from the other side of the office. He broke away as quickly as he had welcomed her tongue in his mouth. "It _is_ surprising that they'd leave the door unlocked if they were done for the day…" He said, looking around the room.  
  
"Maybe they finally got so hot and bothered that they went to his apartment! Maybe he's ripping her clothes off this very minute." She took another swig of her flask. "It's about time! The sexual tension in this office gets me going the moment I walk through that door."  
  
Matt sensed Karen's nervousness as she avoided looking at his face. Marci unknowingly revealed what they all were thinking about the palpable tension between the two of them. He could see what Foggy loved about Marci. She was blunt and hilarious, and she brought out the fun side of his best friend. But her timing certainly wasn't great.

"You think I haven't told him to make a move? I've never seen him this way with anyone. I think that little Matty Murdock is madly in love with Karen Page."  
  
Karen. Page. The words hit her like a freight train, and her heart started racing. She had been considering opening the door and revealing where they were, but they had already heard too much. Matt's hands grew sweaty on her hips at his best friend's admission. _Damn it, Foggy!_ He thought as his friend unknowingly sold him out. He could sense Karen's excitement, but this was definitely not how he'd imagined telling her that he was interested in her. Very interested.  
  
Marci snapped her fingers in front of Foggy's face, bringing his focus back to her. "Foggy! Who cares? I'm sure that I'm right anyway. Let's drop whatever unimportant documents you have and get back to the fun part." She kissed him and looked him in the eyes. "We both know that you like the fun part!" She slipped a finger along his belt buckle and he groaned. He threw the manila folders haphazardly onto Karen's desk and grabbed his girlfriend by the hips.  
  
"Ok, but let's stop by your apartment before we eat..."  
  
She giggled. "I can't wait that long…" She looked around the office. "You know, I've never been pushed up against a desk in an office this dingy. It's turning me on... 'Please Mr. Nelson, don't fire me! I need to be able to feed my children… or whatever'"  
  
Karen giggled. "Those poor children!" and Matt snorted at the thought.  
  
"Very convincing, Miss Stahl, but I just don't see the point in prolonging the inevitable. You're frequently drunk, your clothing choices are very questionable, and you lack a basic sense of human decency. I'm sure there's another office that would be fine with your brand of 'lawyering,' but this is an upstanding institution."  
  
"I'll do _anything_ , Mr. Nelson. Please don't put me out on the street. What about Marci Jr. and the other one! How will I pay their nanny, Francesca?"  
  
Matt looked down at Karen and lowered his cheek to hers, "What the hell do we do?" He whispered in her ear.  
  
She cringed, her warm breath on his earlobe. "I really don't know. All I can keep thinking is that they better not have sex on _my_ desk."  
  
He chuckled. "I'm afraid we can't afford to buy you a new one. We'll have to burn that one and make Foggy give you his."  
  
She blushed. "If this is really happening right now, who knows how dirty his desk is already? I'm afraid you are going to have to take one for the team and switch with me. It's the gentlemanly thing to do."  
  
They were both conscious of their arms around each other. There was really no space to move and Matt enjoyed being this close to her. She was intoxicating.  
  
"I'd rather work on the floor. Plus, my desk is pretty well-worn as it is." He meant that it was as old as the building, but she turned her head away, and it took him a beat to understand.  
  
He lifted her chin up and whispered, "Karen, there is no way I'd bring anyone into this office. I..."

They heard a crash as a photo fell off of Karen's desk. "Let's take this to my office, Miss Stahl. Nothing gets past Karen Page. She'll probably figure out your ass was on this thing and she'll definitely smell the spilled Vodka. I don’t know about you, but I don't have a death wish."  
  
"If she's grinding on Matt, she's doing just fine, I promise you. And don't you think she would be proud of you for getting with someone this far out of your league? She'd probably give you a high-five."  
  
Karen shrugged her shoulders and nodded, thinking that Marci was probably right. Matt chuckled.  
  
"Karen, we can no longer ignore the crossroads we are at," Matt said, his mouth to her ear. Her heart raced, not knowing what he meant. He liked that he could tease her so easily. Even if it had the same effect on him. "If we continue to stand in this closet, we will probably hear 'Foggy Bear' Nelson having sex. There is no coming back from that."  
  
She giggled. "Matt, we are that bear's wingmen. We need to ask ourselves, 'what would Foggy Bear do if _he_ walked in on...'" She paused.  
  
"I think he would let us rip each other's clothes off." He said, more seriously than before. She took a breath. Even though they couldn't see each other, they were looking into each other's eyes, closing the gap ever so slowly.  
  
There was another crash. They broke their gaze and both looked toward the door.  
  
"Miss Stahl! That will be coming out of your final paycheck!" They had broken another frame as Marci had bent over the desk so that Foggy could unzip her dress. "Whoops" she said pushing another frame to the ground. They had left his door open, not thinking they were being heard. "You did that on purpose!" He said as he finished pulling her dress off and gave her a small smack on the ass.  
  
"I want to please you, Mr. Nelson. Please tell me what I can do!"  
  
"Take off my tie and wrap it around your wrists, Ms. Stahl," he said with a sternness to his voice. She complied and he tied them together and unbuttoned his shirt. She used her bound hands to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants. Then she pulled the belt out and let his pants down to his ankles. They were both standing in just their underwear.  
  
Karen started to become aroused, and let out a small pained sigh. She was impressed with the passion between Marci and Foggy, and she was staring the man she wanted right in the face. Matt unconsciously slid his hands up her back, giving her goose bumps.   
  
Foggy took his belt from her and slid it around her waist, pulling her toward him. "Take off your thong, Ms. Stahl. Slowly." Matt could tell she was doing as she was told, and he tried like hell to focus back on Karen. "Now my boxers" Marci did so and pushed him into his desk chair, and it creaked as she straddled him. He let out a moan, undoing her bra and sliding it down her arms as she put her wrists behind his neck.  
  
Matt cringed. "Karen, I'm going to need that mop bucket if I have to hear my best friend having sex....."  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Matt. But there is a distraction staring you right in the face. You just have to seize the opportunity."  
  
Back to serious. They had been so close before, and he just needed to give in to what he truly wanted. He walked her back into the wall and lifted her slightly, his lips almost touching hers. "Is that what you want? You aren't just rescuing me?"  
  
"Matt, I wouldn't enter into this to save you. But you have to actually _want_ it."  
  
"That has never been the problem."

He pressed his lips to hers and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She felt like she was on fire. She had woken up in a sweat several times after he showed up in her dreams. They'd be in his office at work and he'd pull her onto his lap, or she'd pull his tie, bringing him forward to kiss her. They got more serious when they took her back to the night she spent at his apartment. She could smell him on his sheets, and she could see him across the room on the couch. That night had been much more traumatizing than she thought he knew, and her lust had replaced her fear for a very welcome moment. She remembered it frequently when she smelled him as they got close.   
  
They heard moans from the other room. Marci was mesmerizing, and Karen's heart started to race. She didn't know that Matt knew her every heartbeat, that he could sense her excitement at the sound of another woman's pleasure. She wanted him to make her sound like that.  
  
Karen ran her hands into Matt's hair, and he pushed his pelvis into her, giving her some insight into how aroused he was. He ran his hands slowly down her sides, and she stifled a moan as he grazed her breasts.  
  
Foggy had shifted out of the chair and laid Marci on his desk. He ran his hands from her neck to her abdomen, paying special attention to her breasts. She threw her tied hands over the back of the desk, moaning over and over again as he gave her what she wanted.  
  
Matt kissed Karen's neck and continued over her cleavage, down the outside of her dress and over her stomach. She could feel his warm breath through her dress, almost losing herself. He tugged lightly on her dress as he sat down, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed so that he could fit in the small space. She felt for him and his hands found her, pulling her into his lap. She was sitting sideways, her hand cupping his face. He hugged her to him and kissed her, as his hand ran from throat to her chest, between her breasts and rested lightly on her stomach.  They had gotten lost in each other, forgetting the commotion in Foggy's office.  
  
Marci grew louder and finally experienced her release followed immediately by Foggy. They lay there for a minute to catch their breath and then began to redress. "You might want to rethink calling a place that uses the word 'lawyering' an upstanding institution." She said as he zipped her back into her dress.  
  
"It's sad that you don't think that's a word. I'll get you a copy of the Foggy dictionary, Marci. Don't want you feeling like an idiot."  
  
"Somehow I still want to kiss you after you called me an idiot… That's probably a sign that we should end this." She said as she found her underwear and put them back on.

"That is a depressing thought. How about you give in to those things people with souls call 'feelings.' Try something new for a change." He winked.  
  
She raised her hand to smack him and he grabbed it, pulling her into a kiss. She giggled as he picked up the contents of his desk off the floor and lazily put them on top.  
  
"Where do you want to eat?" He asked as he turned all of the lights off and locked the door.  
  
Matt realized they had left after he heard the door close and he pulled away from Karen as the lock clicked. He kissed her once more and ran his fingers through her hair.

His stomach grumbled. "How do you feel about going on a date... tonight?"

She smiled at him and ran her fingers over his cheek. "I could make that work..."

Karen helped him back up and exited the pantry, walking over to her desk to grab her purse as he got his cane from his office. He grabbed their coats from their coat rack and she locked the door behind them, leaving her broken frame on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Karen leave the office and head to a nearby bar for their first date. Their plan is thwarted, however, when a man won't take "no" for an answer.

They left the office and walking a little too closely, and Matt grabbed her hand the third time they grazed each other. After a few blocks, Karen realized they had no plans for where they were going. “What are we doing, Matt?” She asked.

  
“You're the one leading the blind man, Karen..."

  
“We both know that you know this city like the back of your hand. I’m pretty sure you are the one leading 90 percent of the time.”  
  
“Fair point.” He said chuckling. “What sounds good to you?”

“Anything at this point.” she said, hearing her stomach growl. “What about that bar down the road? They have string lights on the patio, and that’s always a good sign.”

  
“Is it?” He asked.

  
“It means that someone realized that people might want to sit outside and enjoy the city while being bathed in twinkle light.” He smiled, noticing her blush as she revealed a piece of her that proved she was a romantic.

  
It was a hole-in-the-wall sports bar, a little larger than Josie’s. They walked inside and quickly realized that they weren’t the only people who had the idea to go out. “I forgot, it’s Friday night. We can go somewhere else if this is too busy...” she said.

  
“Let’s see if there is a place to sit. I'm starving, and the sooner we eat the better.” Matt said.

  
There was an empty booth in a dark corner of the bar. She led him to it and saw there were only drink menus. "No menus… I'll be right back." She said.

  
He took off his jacket and put it on the other side of the booth, along with her sweater. As he sat down, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and smiled. He sifted through the noise of the bar, through the multiple sports being played on different televisions. Someone dropped a bottle on the far side of the restaurant and it shattered as cheers erupted over one of the games.

  
He made his way back to Karen, who was walking past a table of men in tailored suits, each of them wearing a different expensive cologne. One particular man eyed Karen, and he pointed her out to his friends and chuckled. Matt glared as he heard him walk toward the bar.

  
Karen found a space between a bar stool and place where the bartender placed finished drinks for other servers. Looking for menus on the bar top was futile, so she tried to get the attention of anyone who worked here, with no luck. She did get the attention of someone else, however.

  
A man slipped up beside her and smiled. "Hi beautiful, how are you doing tonight?" He asked.

  
"I'm alright, how ‘bout yourself?" She asked as she tried to make eye contact with the server at the other end of the bar.

"I'm good, especially since you passed my table. How about I buy you a drink?" He asked as he eyed her up and down.

"That's sweet. But I just got off work and, and I'm here to grab some food and relax. I hope you have a nice night, though." She smiled at him. Matt could sense her demeanor shift from relaxed to guarded as the man got impatient at being turned down. He considered getting up, but knew that Karen would probably to prefer to handle this situation herself. He remained in his booth and continued listening, ready to jump up if she needed him.  
  
The man edged toward her, putting his body against hers. She was wedged up against the bar stool and had no space to move. Her heart rate jumped. "I think you'd really enjoy spending some time with me and my friends over there. We know how to have a good time, and something tells me you like to have a good time." He said, placing his hand on her waist.

  
Matt's knees slammed into the table as he jumped up, turning toward the bar. He heard her heartbeat pick up as she removed the man's hand from her side. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm really. Not. Interested." he heard her say. She leaned over the bar and made a big reach for an abandoned laminated menu that was covered in over-poured alcohol and melted ice.

Matt sat back down and took a deep breath as he heard her push passed the man and make a beeline toward their booth. Her heart rate was getting back to normal once she saw him, messy hair and loosened tie. She loved relaxed and messy Matt, though she noticed that his demeanor suggested that "relaxed" was a bit of a stretch. He got out of the booth, allowing her to slip inside.

  
He took a deep breath and turned to smile at her. "Sorry that took a minute," she said. He couldn’t believe that her recovery response was an apology after being manhandled by that asshole. He slipped his arm around her, and she leaned against his shoulder, completely forgetting what had just happened. He grew less tense himself as she read the highlights of the menu to him. They decided on some appetizers, and he slid out of the booth cupping her face and asking her to stay.

  
"Matt, I can get the food. It's so busy up there. I couldn't get anyone's attention."

  
"Don't worry about it, Karen. I'll put the order in and get some drinks. You get comfortable, and I'll go see I can use some of the good ol' Murdock charm. It has been known to work on several occasions." He kissed her softly, opened his cane, and headed to the bar.

  
"I'll bet" she said admiringly under her breath, biting her lip as she watched him walk away. His body language changed and he walked a little slower as he passed the man who had bothered her, and she looked down at her phone to avoid eye contact.  
  
Matt stopped at the middle of the bar as his cane hit into the wooden baseboard. A thirty-something woman on a stool turned to him "Hi Sugar. Need some help?"

  
"I'm alright. Thank you so much." He said, smiling. He lifted his hand up in no general direction, hoping to catch a server's attention. She was pouring a vodka martini and flirting with a man who had hidden his wedding ring in his shirt pocket.

  
Karen looked at her phone. It was 8:00, much later than she had expected, and she was starving.

  
She smelled his cologne as he slid into the booth and tensed up immediately, turning her body toward him.

  
"You weren't very nice, Blondie. I thought we were going to be friends."

  
“Listen…” She chose her words carefully, and tried to remain as calm as possible. “I'm here with someone else and I'm not interested. I would appreciate it if you could listen to me and leave me alone. Now."

  
"Are you talking about the blind guy? You can do so much better. I think you need a night with a real man." He said, his breath reeking of alcohol.

  
A bartender walked up to Matt, asking what she could get him, but he ignored her as he was listening to the man in their booth. He heard Karen, her heart rate elevated, breathing slowly like she was planning her next steps. "I'm sure there are plenty of women who would like to be ignored as they tell you they’re not interested, but you have no chance here. None. So go back over to your friends and leave me alone.” She pointed in the direction of his table without flinching.

He roughly grabbed her wrist and slammed it into the table, his cheeks turning red with anger. "You don't talk to me that way, bit-..." Suddenly, he was flying backward, hitting the ground hard. Matt stood above him. "My friend has told you to leave her alone. The moment you ignored her and put your hands on her, we had a problem. You need to leave. Now."

  
His friends ran up to him and helped him up. “You really think you can take me and two other people?" he slurred. "Oh, wait, you don't even know what you're up against. You're outnumbered, asshole. How about you leave, and let Blondie handle herself."

  
Karen jumped out of the booth, and Matt's tried to hold her back with his right arm. "Karen, can you grab our coats?" She reached behind her and grabbed them, her purse on her shoulder.

  
“We are going to leave, since you’d rather embarrass yourself and ruin a lovely woman’s night than acknowledge that she has no interest in you.” Karen walked behind him and then stepped to his left side. One of the men threw a punch at Matt's face, but he turned toward him, hitting his arm away with his cane, and using his other hand to knock him on his ass. Karen was watching Matt almost getting punched when the persistent douche bag grabbed her by the left arm, turning her around. She instinctively swung her right fist back and punched him square in the face. He hit the ground hard, and as his other friend went to help him, they pushed through the crowd, making it to the door.

  
They walked brusquely up the block and Matt guided her down some steps into a darkened shop alcove. He placed his arm on her waist, and listened to the commotion outside the bar.

"I swear that bitch is going to regret sucker-punching me!" He said as they scoped out the street, running past the alcove. She was breathing quickly, and spread her fingers to see how badly she'd hurt herself. He reached down and lifted her hand slowly, checking for the damage. “I don't think it's broken. But it’s going to hurt, especially since you knocked him to the floor. Are you alright?"

  
"I'm fine, Matt. Thank you." She looked at the hand on her waist. His face was just inches from hers, and she could feel his breath on her forehead.

  
He was tilting his head strangely, looking at nothing in particular. "They're gone." He said after a few minutes of waiting.

She shook out of her trance and looked up. "How do you know?"

  
"They just ran into back into the bar. You didn't hear?"

  
"I must have been distracted,” she said dreamily. “Let's get out of here."

  
They walked to the end of the block and turned the corner. Karen hailed a cab. She gave her address and held his hand as they drove past streetlights and street life, reaching her small building.

  
Matt paid the fare and followed her. "If you want to call it a night, I understand.” Karen said. “But I'm still starving, and I don't want to end on that note. And if you choose to stay, I have an idea for what we can do. It's completely up to you."

  
He smiled without answering, and followed her up the steps. She unlocked the door, her hands shaking. She didn't expect him to say yes after the night they'd had. They entered her building and headed up to her apartment.

She turned on the light, noticing how messy it was inside.

  
"Thank God he can't see this," she thought, feeling instantly guilty. "What kind of food would you like? Thai? Chinese? Burgers?"

  
"Whatever you want is fine with me." He said.

  
She swiped through her contact list, finding a burger place near their final location. "Burgers it is. What kind of burger and what kind of shake? "A regular cheeseburger is fine and a vanilla shake, please."

  
She made the call, ordering two cheeseburgers and two small vanilla shakes. Matt heard the voice on the line say it would be 25 minutes.

  
"Is there anything I can help with?" He asked as he heard Karen opening and closing kitchen cabinets. “I'm good. Go ahead and sit down.” She found a lunch bag and unloaded an ice cube tray into it, putting four beers inside and zipping the bag. Then she went into her room and grabbed a backpack, placing a few items inside.

Matt dropped his jacket and her sweater on the end of the couch and sat his glasses on the end table. He wiped the sweat from his brow and sat on the couch, looking behind it in her general direction. His legs were spread across the couch and his hand was draped over the back. She came out and noticed how calm he looked. Then she saw the blood.

"Matt! What happened to your hand? Did they do this?" He ran his fingers over the back of his hand and felt the cut from earlier that night. “Oh, that happened when a clumsy but gorgeous woman broke a light bulb over it... I completely forgot."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm betting you deserved it." She said getting up and walking over to her bathroom to grab her first aid kit. She turned on the lamp next to the couch and he put his legs on the floor, sliding over to give her the space next to the light. She pulled his arm around her and examined it, not realizing she was stroking his palm.

He leaned his head against her shoulder, smelling her hair "Matt, there's still glass in here! How have you been ignoring this all night?" She took out some tweezers and slowly pulled out two small fragments. She disinfected it and put three band aids over the wound.

"Karen, that's really unnecessary, it's not that bad."

"It won't kill you to heal right for once, Matt." He laughed. "Besides, they have dinosaurs on them. This one says 'roar.'" she said, running her hand over the final product. He put his injured hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her passionately, causing her heart to race. "Thank you," he said.

Her stomach grumbled and he looked toward her with a mixture of surprise and awe.

"We better get going." He stood up and grabbed his glasses as she sat stunned from their kiss. "Karen?" he said, bringing her back to the world.

She got up and grabbed her backpack and lunch bag. She locked the door behind them and they went back into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Karen finally get some food and sneak away to her favorite place for their first date. It takes no convincing for him to come back to her apartment.

Matt and Karen took a cab to a burger place on the edge of the Hell's Kitchen. She told him to wait outside as she went to get their food. He breathed in the night air and smiled as he took in his surroundings. It felt like a typical Friday night if you ignored the altercation from earlier.

He heard a family of four walk past him eating ice cream cones as a couple on their first date sat at a table outside of the restaurant. He heard Karen handing cash to the bartender as she grabbed their food. She walked through the door and smiled as she handed Matt his shake and walked with him for two blocks.  
  
"Where are we going?" Matt asked, intrigued.  
  
"One more block," she said with a little skip in her step.  
  
They made their way to a park. It was fairly dark from all the enormous trees. She used a key to unlock the gate and made sure to lock it behind them.  
  
"How do you have a key to this place, Ms. Page?"  
  
"I'm full of surprises, Mr. Murdock."

They walked onto a brick path that led to the center of the park. "When I first got to New York, I had a really hard time making friends. So I'd come here… To read and sit in the sun when I had free time. One of the park guards constantly had to remind me when sunset rolled around, and after a while he started letting me stay. Once I started having long nights at Nelson and Murdock, he'd let me in after hours. We'd sit and feed the ducks when he had his breaks, and he'd tell me about his wife and kids and how much he loved his job. A month ago, they cut back on park services, and they let him go. He gave me a little package on his last day, and it was this key."

"Is there one person in New York who isn't charmed by Karen Page?"  
  
"There are actually many people who think I'm a nuisance, Matt Murdock." He laughed at how right she was. She knew how to see people to their core, and she didn't put up with bullshit. She also had a knack for finding information that people didn't want to be known. It was one of the reasons he worried about her so much.

They went toward the center of the park near a small lake, hidden from the outside of the fence. She opened her backpack and pulled out a rolled-up sleeping bag, unzipping it and spreading it over some grass.  
  
Karen guided him to the spot and he sat down. She sat next to him, her legs to the side. "Would you like a beer?" she pulled two bottles out of the lunch bag.

"Absolutely, " he nodded. She opened them with a bottle opener she'd brought, handing one to him after he removed their food from the takeout bag.  
  
"Hopefully Daredevil isn't roaming the parks tonight." She said jokingly as she put a French fry in her mouth. "You aren't allowed to drink in here, to begin with, but after hours is pretty ballsy."  
  
"I hear he is pretty focused on open-container culprits in public parks these days," he laughed. He loved when she mentioned his alter ego. He forgot about that part of himself every now and then, but Daredevil was on her mind much more frequently than he would have thought.  
  
"Just let me do the talking. I'm pretty sure he's got a soft spot for me," she joked.

He beamed at this, knowing she was right, but she didn't notice. "I'm sure he does."  
  
They sat side-by-side listening to the water and inhaled their burgers. Matt tossed his burger wrapper into the takeout bag, forgetting that she didn't know his secret. He listened to see if she had noticed, but she was slurping the final part of her milkshake. She put it into the bag and let out a big sigh.

"I'm sorry that happened tonight." he said as he moved the takeout bag off of the blanket.   
  
"It's no big deal." She looked up at the stars and took a big breath. She loved this particular smell of her city.   
  
"Seriously, Karen? You can't mean that."  
  
"It's aggravating, and even scary, but you get used to it. There are a lot of men that feel they can do whatever they want... Like they have ownership of you." She looked down like she was embarrassed, trying to deflect the attention she was getting from a man who never made her feel like she owed him anything for simply being female.  
  
He looked toward her, shaking his head. He was so sympathetic and loving. He didn't pry. He just understood that her experience was very different from his own.   

"I had a really hard time holding back. When he grabbed you, I... I could have killed him. I wanted to hurt him for putting his hands on you."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You didn't though. You prevented something worse from happening. And since there were three of them, Matt… You did a really good job of defusing the situation. I'm really proud of you for trying to walk away." She kissed his cheek. "Plus, I got to give him something he'll regret in the morning."  
  
"Yes he will." he grabbed her right hand and gently massaged it. He moved up to her arm, finding her bruise. She could see the colors coming through in the shape of the man's hand. He turned his head away from her, clenching his other fist.   
  
"Hey, it's alright. _I'm_ alright. I can't say I didn't love seeing him pulled out of the booth and onto the floor, though. I didn’t even see you do that, by the way. But if you hadn't been there, I would have handled it. I've learned to take care of myself."  
  
She kissed him on the cheek and reached for the bag, pulling a small pillow out of it. He moved down the blanket, and she slipped the pillow under his head before he could land on the blanket. He opened his arm and she nestled her head against his chest, her hair cascading down his shoulder.

"Why do you wear the glasses at night?"  
  
"Honestly, it's force of habit. I don't have light sensitivity like a lot of blind people do, but I do notice when people get uncomfortable because I don't make eye contact with them like they're used to."  
  
"I love looking at your eyes," she said, removing his glasses. "I notice that you don't wear them when you're with Foggy... I wish you felt that comfortable with me…"

He kissed her on the nose.

"They're kind of a crutch, honestly. You have a way of seeing right through people, Karen. I feel a little naked without them when I'm with you."

Her heart started racing and she sighed. It was a mixture of happiness and sadness, but there was something else. Something she wasn't telling him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she said, seeing that he wasn't buying it. "I just imagined everything going back to the way they were before. When you were always keeping me at a distance."

He smiled. "That will never happen. It was really hard before I kissed you. But I can't go back to holding back when all I wanted to do every day was hold you in my arms. I don't have _that_ much self-control."  
  
"Then why did you try so hard to avoid me?"  
  
He sighed, and picked his words carefully. "I haven't been completely honest with you about questions I know you want answers to. I'm still trying to figure out if that is doing more harm than good. That and the fact that I'm your boss, to some extent... I just didn't want to put you in a uncomfortable position. I could tell you were a little interested, but maybe you just enjoyed flirting with me."  
  
"I know there's more than you're telling me, Matt. But the moment I told you that I'd wait until you were ready... I stopped worrying about it. I don't want to force you to reveal something that you don't want me to know. And, Matt... There are things you don't know about me as well. Someday we'll both feel comfortable enough to reveal our secrets. But we can get to know each other in other ways until then."  
  
She always knew how to make him feel better, even when he was keeping something from her. He was falling for her, fast. He leaned down and kissed her, running his hand over the side of her face. "I've wanted to do this since the day I met you, Karen Page."  
  
Karen rolled on top of him, straddling his body. He slid his hands over her dress, ending at her knees. She moaned as she felt him beneath her, and he could sense her wetness as she made contact with the contents of his boxers. His hands pressed into her harder and he ran them over her rear, pushing her down onto him and causing him to groan.  
  
"We.... We need to stop this…" She breathed. She rolled off of him, frustrated, hating to be the voice of reason. "I was prepared, but not _that_ prepared. Plus, we don’t want our vigilante catching us."

He rolled back over her and kissed her neck. "He won't. I'm sure he's more sexually frustrated than either of us..." He went back to running his hands over her, still kissing her like it would be the last time. She giggled, forcing him back into reality. He stopped kissing her and ran his fingers through her hair. "What is so funny, Ms. Page?" he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Just the thought of a sexually frustrated Daredevil. Don't you think people are throwing themselves at him daily? Offering to 'thank him' for saving them?"

"I doubt his plans include taking advantage of people who only needed help." He chuckled. "Would you have honestly wanted him to kiss you after some asshole threw you into a wall you and almost stabbed you?" He rolled back onto the blanket, laying on his side. "Have you thought about this before?"

"Not to ruin any moment that's happening here, but… of course I have."

He smiled, surprised. "That I did not expect, Page."

"The facts are these, counselor: One: He literally saved my life. Two: He's a badass ninja… If you could see the way he flips and beat the shit out of someone who tried to kill me… I saw him wrap a chain around the neck of the psychopath that had whipped out a knife on me only moments before and I couldn't remember how to breathe for a moment. Three: He has an amazing body, and you know I'm partial to hot stubble on a perfect jaw." She said as her fingers grazed over his cheek and jawline. He stopped breathing. "I'm just saying, if he had tried to kiss me, or if I had gotten the chance to kiss him, there is no question. I would have done it. Plus it was pouring outside. Rain + hot ninja savior = kissing. I rest my case."  
  
He burst into laughter. "Well, for my sake, Ms. Page. I really hope that ninja stays the hell away from you when it's raining. And I should probably hit the gym."

"I like you just the way you are." She said as she kissed him quickly and hopped up. She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the blanket. "Come with me."  
  
Karen held his hand as they walked to the swing sets. She put his hands on the chains and he ran his fingers down them, sitting on the rubberized seat.

"I haven't done this since before I lost my sight. It's a weird feeling." He said, pumping his legs in order to get as high up as he could go.

Karen tried to catch up as she watched him pick up the pace. "You look like a little kid. It's adorable."

He went high enough that the chain became loose in the air. "Hit the breaks, Murdock!" She laughed. "I bet you were that kid who jumped mid-swing, ten feet in front of him."

"You got that right!" he said, about to jump off, but remembering that he had to act like he was blind. He wasn't as careful with her today, and it was getting harder to remember the reasons for concealing his abilities from her. She kept making him forget who he was supposed to be.

Matt slowed down and reached out in search of her hand as he felt the ground beneath his feet. She grazed his arm teasingly as she went into the air, but he grabbed her the next time she came back, twisting her swing toward him so that her knees were between his. He kissed her, and ran his fingers over her hands.

They left the playground and gathered their things, shoving them into the backpack. She dumped the ice out of the lunch bag as he threw their garbage away, and left with no evidence of their being there.

They exited the park and walked the five blocks back to her apartment, arm in arm. Matt followed her upstairs without a discussion and dropped the contents of their picnic on the floor the moment the door closed behind them. He touched her elbow as she placed her purse on a small table by the wall, turning her body toward him. He lifted her up onto the table, her legs spreading, allowing him to get as close to her as possible. She un-tucked his shirt from his pants, touching her fingers to his abdomen. Just her skin touching his sent him into a frenzy. He could no longer keep his hands off of her.

Their mouths were moving in sync until he dragged his lips down her chin, her neck, and right at the point where her skin was covered by her dress. He slid his hands up her thighs as he lifted her up, the table hitting against the wall. His hands instructed her legs to wrap themselves around him as he glided toward her bed, lifting her dress over her head with one hand and throwing it across the room. Matt lowered her down onto the bed, and she pulled his tie lightly, beckoning him on to climb on top of her. She loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off his shoulders.  
  
Karen fumbled over buttons and buckles, pushing his slacks down with one hand, using her foot to do the rest of the work. She rolled on top of him and he ran his hands up her legs and behind her back, unhooking her bra. He pulled it off her slowly, and she trembled as she felt the fabric leaving her nipples.

  
Matt cupped her breasts in his hands as she rolled her hips, causing him to moan. She moved down his body, pulling his boxer briefs off and throwing them on the floor. She ran her hands up his stomach and licked up his shaft, taking him into her mouth. He let out a moan as she continued, desperate to run his hands over her whole body. He grabbed both of her hands and pulled her back to him, and she kissed him as she rested her silky underwear on top of his newly-wet penis. He slid his hand inside her underwear while she continued, rubbing her as he used his other hand to pull her underwear to the side. He nestled himself between her slit, and pulled her down to kiss him. She was still grinding on him when he rolled them both over, moving away from her to grab a condom from her bedside table as she took her underwear off.

Her breathing grew shallow as he came back to her, kissing her neck as she opened her legs and felt him just inches away from her opening. They got lost in the moment, exploring each other's mouths with their tongues and running their hands over each other. She pulled him against her and felt the tip of his penis entering her, causing her to let out a breathy gasp. She didn't care about consequences any longer, and was lucky that it was him this time who stopped things from going any further. He opened the small square package and rolled it over himself, gently sliding inside of her as she cried out in delight. He started slow, licking her nipples each time he lowered himself again, then licking up her chest and up to her lips.

When he made contact with her tongue, he thrust harder, causing her to moan. He lifted her hands above her head and grinded inside her, his scarred skin rubbing over her gorgeous breasts. She became more turned on as he moaned, and she wrapped her legs around him as they came together, breathing heavily and gasping as he fell over her. He kissed her forehead, and ran his fingers through her hair as they waited for their breathing to return to normal.  

Matt lifted off of her and she led him to the bathroom, his hands laced on top of hers. Karen turned on the shower and they rinsed each other off, kissing softly and allowing themselves to be wrapped up in each other. She handed him a towel and casually dried herself, not caring about the remaining water on her skin, numb with happiness and exhaustion. He heard the drips hit the floor as she walked out of the bathroom and through her apartment. She was under the covers in a new pair of underwear and a t-shirt when he got there, and he put his boxers on and climbed in next to her. She lifted her neck for his arm to slide under and pulled her leg over him, closing the gap so that she could feel as close to him as possible. He kissed her soft lips once more and sighed happily.

"It's a good thing I made a move before the Daredevil found you again. He's really missing out," he said, causing her to giggle. She rolled over and he ran his hands down her side to her stomach, breathing on her neck. He fell asleep quickly, and she was dozing herself, until a masked face flashed through her mind, waking her instantly.  
  
There were probably 30 times tonight that Matt had known things, done things that even a sighted individual wouldn't have been able to do. His intuition and reflexes were unbelievable. _Too_ impossible to believe…

He snored.  
  
Her heart was racing as she made the connection. He couldn't be... He _had_ to be.

"Daredevil" She whispered.  
  
Her exhaustion hit her like a wall. She closed her eyes and dozed off, not noticing as his blinked open.  
  
He tried to get his bearings. She couldn't have been awake… She was already snoring. He must have dreamt it. Her heart rate was normal, and she was definitely sleeping. He closed his eyes, hearing her voice repeatedly say "Daredevil" like it was a lullaby.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen tries to relax after a long week of work. She falls asleep in her favorite place, only to be woken up by a dangerous, but familiar face.

It had been a week since their night together.

It was so hot in the office it was almost painful. Karen had fans in every room that a person inhabited. Both Matt and Foggy were involved in tough cases, requiring Karen to ignore the mound of paperwork that was building in order to split her time helping them both.

There hadn't been a chance for Matt and Karen to spend any more time together, but he had promised he'd find free time after court. A whole week to go.

Matt spent his nights working on his case instead of suiting up. He longed for another moment alone with Karen, but they were so busy, and he was so tired from working day and night. She'd told him that she was exhausted, and convinced him that he could make it up to her later.

Karen tried not to think about Daredevil again. But she kept remembering her breakthrough from that night. She watched Matt closely at work, partly because she couldn't stop thinking about him and partly because she was trying to see if he would slip up.

He didn't. He couldn't get her voice out of his head, even though he was fairly certain that he'd imagined it. She was happier, but that was the only change he could sense. They had talked about Daredevil quite a few times that night, and he figured he was probably just remembering her saying his alter ego's name then.

It was 9:00 and the office smelled like sweat and Chinese. Karen was helping Foggy today, but after yawning one too many times, he told her to head home.

"Alright, alright. I'll take a break!" She went to her desk and grabbed her purse. She looked into Matt’s office and smiled at the slightly messy lawyer he became after 6:00. "I'm taking off, Matt. Do you need anything?" He broke his concentration and looked up, his glasses sitting on his desk.

"I'll walk you out," he said, hopping up and grabbing his cane. She took his arm and they walked out of the office and down the stairs.

"I'm sorry it's been so busy. But I'm glad you're taking a break." He said, as they exited the building and felt the night air. "Even if it is…" he felt his watch "9:00... Wow, that's not a break."

"You need a break too, you know. You look more tired than usual."

"I know, I'll leave soon. I just have so much to do And it’s hard to take my mind off of work right now."

"One more week, Matt. If you want to stop by you can, but I strongly recommend you go home, take a shower and crash."

He smelled himself. "What are you saying, Ms. Page?"

"I think you know, Mr. Murdock,” she laughed. "We're going to need to get some air fresheners for that office. It's already too hot and it's only June. We will actually scare clients away."

"You're an honest one, Karen Page."

"I'm not saying I'm not part of the problem." She said, stroking his face. "I'm just saying… There's a problem. "

"Point taken." He kissed her on the lips. "Have some fun tonight. You need a break. Maybe try to get some fresh air. It might help you complain less."

"If I get used to that, it may make me complain _more_ …" she said, sarcastically. "Good night." She kissed him on the cheek and left.

Karen headed to her apartment and sighed. It was hotter than the office. It took her 20 seconds to change her plans and she grabbed the backpack from the night before, removing the warm beers and locking the door behind her.

Matt left shortly after Karen. He went back to his apartment and suited up, needing some exercise after a long week. He groaned as he put it on, sweating the instant his skin made contact with the special material. This would be a quick night, he hoped.

He walked up to the roof and sluggishly took his normal route, listening for anything that could give him answers. He ended up a block away from Karen's apartment, but as he got closer, he heard no sign of her. Maybe she took his advice.

Karen walked a few blocks toward her park, looking forward to laying by the water and looking up at the stars. She unlocked the gate and slipped in silently, locking it behind her. She unrolled the sleeping bag and smiled as her head hit its soft surface, squinting to see the stars. City lights made it a little more difficult than when she was back home, but she counted the ones she could see, dozing off in less than a minute.

She woke up to someone's lips on hers.

Karen opened her eyes, as he found her hands, forcing them to the ground. She turned her head to the side as he covered her mouth before she was able to let out a scream. He took his other hand off of hers and swung, knocking her unconscious.

"Now you know what it feels like." He said sardonically.

He slapped her awake and as her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was looking into the eyes of the man who had harassed her one week earlier. She realized she was gagged and sitting on the metal platform of the jungle gym, her hands tied with the belt from her dress to the metal pole behind her. She cringed at the thought of the moment he removed it from her body.

"What the fuck?" Her words were unintelligible. She groaned into the cloth that was in her mouth.

"Hey there, gorgeous. Miss me?"

She screamed into the cloth and kicked at him, but he dodged her legs and grabbed her face in his hands. "Do you really think that that is a good idea? Do I need to knock you out again?" She shook her head “no” and he smiled. "Now, I'll let you talk, but you need to be quiet, or else this gag will go back into your mouth, yes?" She nodded.

He pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"What in the hell do you possibly think is going to happen here, asshole?"

He smiled calmly and she waited for the silence to end. "Well, I was a little angry the other day. I thought about it for a bit, and realized, maybe you had a reason to be upset with me…"

"You think?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "I think that we both acted rashly the other day, that’s maybe you’d like to apologize.” She stared at him in disbelief. “It certainly could _help_ your situation... but if you want to make things worse for yourself..."

"I'm. Sorry." She said, hoping that this would have a positive effect on this psychopath.

"That's a good girl," he said, his hands still on her chin as he leaned over and kissed her. She tried pulling away as he squished his lips against hers, but he didn't seem to care as her mouth didn't comply.

"Please leave me alone. I won't press charges. You probably won't even see me again. Please, just let me go." Karen pleaded, hoping there was a decent bone in her assailant's body.

"Well, you see, you embarrassed me the other night, Ms. Page. And I don’t like to be embarrassed. I feel like you won't learn anything if you are let off that easily. "

She sighed. He knew her name. "How did you even _find_ me?"

"Well, that took some initiative, I must say." She looked around hoping to see anyone who could help her. They weren't in view of the street. She wasn't going to get away from this monster. "I figured you worked near the bar we were at, so I had an investigator from my firm do some digging. I remembered your face vividly…"

"Seriously? You went to that level of effort to find a woman who turned you down? You really can't handle rejection."

He placed his hand on her face and smiled, scaring her even more. "You're right, it was a great deal of work. I just couldn't get you out of my mind. I guess you leave an _impression_. Now, back to my story, and I'd warn you not to interrupt… I found you and your blind friend at your law firm. Sleeping with the boss, huh? Super classy, I must say. I followed you to your apartment tonight, barely missing you. I guess got lucky because you decided to leave again. I hopped a low part of the fence and found you here, sleeping beauty. Begging me to wake you from your slumber."

"What in the fuck are you going to do to me?"

"Wow, Ms. Page. You have quite a mouth. I wonder if your blind boyfriend knows…"

"Why are you so fixated on the fact that he's blind?"

"I think it's the whole package. That disheveled, shit lawyer thought he was better than me? And _you_ just didn't get it."

"He _is_ better than you."

He grabbed her by the throat with one hand and the collar of her dress with the other, ripping it. She closed her eyes, as tears streamed down her face, and kicked as hard as she could, knocking him onto the bark dust. "Damn it, Karen!" he shouted, hopping up and running at her, she was ready to hit him again when a black shoe landed against his face, hitting him away from the platform. Daredevil lifted him up and threw him again, this time onto the slide.

"What the fuck?" The man yelled as he jumped up and stumbled, trying to catch his balance.

Daredevil punched at him and the man dodged, throwing a fist. Karen gasped, but Daredevil corrected, hitting him three times in the stomach. The man fell over and coughed, trying to catch his breath. He was persistent, standing one last time before Daredevil knocked him back into another pole, and he passed out.

Karen took a deep breath. He leaned down to her level as he ran his gloves down her forearms, to the ties around her wrists. She was looking right up at him as he untied her hands and lifted her up off of the platform, lowering her into the bark dust. He looked down at her like he wanted to say something, but his demeanor changed. "Grab your cell phone and call 911. Tell them you're outside the south entrance of the park."

She walked back to her blanket and found her purse, doing as she was told. Daredevil grunted as he carried the man to the outside of the park, and she heard a very vivid "Yeah right," followed by a groan as Daredevil hit her attacker once more before tying him to the fence with Karen’s belt. She slipped her phone into her purse and he was back. "You'll be safe on the corner, away from that deadbeat." He lifted her chin. "Don't worry, he's out cold. The police will be here in two minutes, and you don't want them knowing you were breaking and entering a city park."

Karen was stunned. She tried to say thank you, but she couldn't get the words to leave her lips. She placed her hand on his chest and he touched his hand to hers right before she turned to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen makes it back to her apartment and is surprised when her savior is there waiting for her.

Karen trudged up the stairs to her apartment, exhausted after spending the last hour and a half at the police station. She opted out of a hospital visit, longing for her bed and not another few hours in a waiting room when she knew she was fine. She unlocked the door to her apartment, and saw her backpack in her entryway, lit by the flood of light from her hallway. She remembered she'd left it when she was sitting at the police station and just hoped that someone who needed it would find it. Before she could wonder how it got there, she heard a voice in the darkness.

"Are you alright?"

She choked back the tears as she said a barely understandable, "yeah," and before she knew what was happening, she was in his arms. Daredevil brought her to her bed, lowering her gently so that she was sitting on its edge.

He left her on her bed and she heard rustling her in her freezer as he grabbed several ice packs, and filled up a glass of water. She took the glass, drinking slowly as he went to her dresser and opened a drawer. She sat puzzled until he put two ice packs into two different shirts, putting one into her hand and lifting it to her face, the other on her shoulder near the left side of her throat. She motioned for him to sit next to her, and he met her, putting his hand on her right hand.

She lowered her head on his shoulder, still holding the ice pack. "If you hadn't been there, I would probably be dead right now."

"You were doing pretty well up until I showed up." he said, his voice low and rough.

"He wasn't going to stop." She said angrily, shaking her head. Her body stiffened as she whispered, "He wasn't…going to stop."

Daredevil clenched his fists, wishing he had taken more time to get his message across. The next thing Karen said only made him feel worse.

"He's going to find me again. But I guess that's a problem for another day..."

"What did the police say?"

"A woman at his former office had a restraining order against him, something about an assault. There was an incident report with two other women, but they never pressed charges." She sighed. "They said to get a restraining order - like that was going to work. And for my boyfriend to come in and give a statement about the bar tomorrow."

He nodded, already plotting his next steps to prevent this from happening after sensing how scared she was.

"How did you find me tonight?" She asked as she shifted her ice pack on her face.

He didn't answer, but she didn’t care. "Thank you." She whispered.

Karen felt the tear as it rolled off his face and onto hers. She lifted her head to look at him but he stared at the wall. Her ice packs fell onto the bed as she stood in front of him and ran her hands over his face, moving her fingers over his mask and back down his face. He rested his head against her stomach and placed his hands on her waist as tears streamed out of his mask. He had almost lost her.

She lifted his face up and kissed him softly. Daredevil responded instantly, kissing her like he'd never see her again. He fell back onto her bed pulled her on top of him, not thinking of the consequences. As they came back up for fresh air, she rolled off him, smiling as his arm made its way under her neck and he rolled on his side. She placed her hand on his chest and she he lay there, she could sense that something else was bothering him.

She grabbed the ice packs behind her and put one on her cheek, the other behind his neck where there was a thin layer of fabric. "You must be dying in that suit."

"It's not great, I can tell you that." He said, not worried about how hot he was, and instead was thinking about how complicated the situation was now.

"You seem upset about something else… What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is it because I mentioned a boyfriend?"

"Maybe."

"He's not really my boyfriend. That's just what the asshole who attacked me called him to the police."

He didn't respond.

"We actually talked about you, me and Matt. I don't know if you remember helping me a year ago…"

"I remember." He said, touching the part of her that had hit the wall the night he had saved her **.**

"He asked me about that night and I told him that I would have kissed you if I had gotten the chance."

"Really? Why?"

"You are a mysterious man, Daredevil. Saving people who will never know who you are. Never expecting anything from anyone."

"I don't like to take advantage of the people I help."

"Of course you don't. But that doesn't mean I didn't want to say thank you. I'm not going to feel bad about being interested in the man inside of the suit. I've had dreams about that night ending differently, and I hoped I'd see you again under better circumstances."

"You’ve had dreams about me?"

"All the time. Sometimes I remember exactly what happened. Sometimes they get more… interesting... Sometimes you'd be here waiting for me - kind of like tonight - and don't worry, I know that's not what you're here for. The point is that either way, I got to kiss those gorgeous lips and have your hands all over me."

He tried to hide his intense breathing, knowing he needed to get the hell out of there. But every part of him was fighting it.

"I can't believe you remembered where I lived."

"I watched this place for a few weeks after the Union Allied story broke."

"Wow."

"I'm sorry. I'm the one who dropped off the information and I didn't want anything to happen to you as a result."

She leaned over and kissed him again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I told Matt that I thought you had a soft spot for me. Was I wrong?" 

He was quiet. He sat up and moved off the bed. "I should go."

She did the same thing, not upset, somehow smiling. "I think you just gave me my answer. I think you are practicing a ton of restraint right now." She said, confidently.

"You sure do like to jump to conclusions, Ms. Page."

She turned his face toward hers. "Tell me I'm the same as all of the people you've saved." she kissed up his cheek, stopping at his ear, and whispered, " _Tell me you don't want me._ "

He opened his mouth and couldn't find the words. He couldn't believe she was really this interested in his masked self. She grabbed his hands and pulled each glove off. She ran his fingers over the hem of her dress and he lifted it instantly, throwing it onto the floor. He slid his hands around her back and took off her bra, backing her against the wall. She shuddered as she felt his hard suit against her skin.

Karen kissed him as she felt along his suit, finding the snaps to the top half. She undid one side and he ripped the other one open, revealing a black undershirt. He dragged her hands to the buttons for his pants and she opened them up, and he quickly stepped out of them. As she pulled his shirt off, she ran her fingers over his sweaty torso, biting her lip and letting out a small gasp.

Daredevil grunted as he picked her up roughly, lusting after her. She kissed him, mashing her lips into his as he groaned. He brought them to the bed and laid her down, holding her hands above her head and kissing her between her breasts. He removed his hands and dragged his fingers down her body, ending at her underwear.

"Please... don't stop, Daredevil… Please." She breathed.

He paused, smiling at her as he fingered along her underwear and causing her to sigh. He chose this as the last time to make her see reason. "Tell me there's nothing standing in the way of this happening. That there’s no reason for us to stop."

"Are you worried about that again? You aren't screwing anything up for me. I know he'd understand," she said, removing her underwear and pulling him on top of her.

She kissed his neck and wrapped her legs around him. He grew dizzy as he made contact with her naked body. But he couldn’t shut his brain down, realizing that this moment would be a violation of her trust. He knew more than she did and she would never forgive him.

"Are you going to tell him?" He asked. She slid his boxers off and ran her hands back up to his face, rolling them over his mask.

She kissed him once more and pressed her fingers into his neck. "I don't think I have to…" she said innocently.

He tilted his head, trying to make sure he knew what she was saying, his mouth slightly open as he connected the dots. Then he ran her hands to the base of his mask, allowing her to remove it. She smiled as she was proven right.


End file.
